Coupon holder



M. J. HOFFMAN Gourou HOLDER Dec. 9, 1941.

Filed July 5, 1940 Patented Dec. 9, 1941 UNITED STATES PATET OFFICE COUPON HOLDER Morris J. Hoffman, Chicago, Ill.

Application July 5, 1940, Serial No. 344,021

,(Cl. 40f124) 4 Claims.

This invention relates to coupon holders, and among its objects are to simplify and cheapen the cost of manufacture of articles of this kind; to provide a coupon holder that is sanitary and does not require paste or other adhesive material for fastening the coupons to the holder, and to provide transparent coupon holding means whereby practically all parts of the coupons are visible while held by the holder.

As is well known by those skilled in lthe art to which this invention pertains, coupon tickets are employed by many manufacturing establishments for keeping records of the price paid workmen for work done by them on articles manufactured by the concern. A coupon ticket is usually composed of a sheet of relatively stiff paper, scored or perforated along lines running lengthwise and crosswise thereof to provide detachable coupons along the side portions of the ticket. On the coupons are printed data, such as the operation numbers; the lot number of the articles upon which different kinds of work is performed by many workmen; the quantity of articles, the prices paid the workmen for their particular kind of work done; the names of the operations performed, and other notations as may be required for the particular articles manufactured.

In use a coupon ticket accompanies the material which is to be made up into an article or articles and each workman who performs any work on the article, tears off the coupon, identified as his, and retains it. These coupons indicate the wages due the several workmen for their labor.

' For convenience in safely keeping the coupons, a coupon holder has been provided for each workman in which all of the coupons retained by him are secured in such manner that the printed faces of all the coupons are visible, so that the record keeper may quickly ascertain how much wages is due the workman for his labor as shown by the coupons.

Heretofore coupon holders have been somewhat expensive, and therefore they had to be used repeatedly by the workmen. With other coupon holders, the coupons were adhesively secured thereto, which necessitated extra work, and became unsanitary. With a coupon holder embodying the present invention, it may be lled with coupons, the latter destructively cancelled so that they cannot be again used, and the filled coupon holder may be filed away for future reference. The cost of construction of the present coupon holder being very little, it need be used only once.

However, it may be used ,over andi over again if desired.

Other objects and advantages will appear -i-n the course of this specification and with said ob-- jects and advantages in view, this invention conf sists in the several novel features hereinafter fully set forth and claimed.

The invention is clearly illustrated in the draw: ing accompanying this specification in whicha form, embodying a simple form of the present invention, showing several coupons held therein.

Fig. 2 is an edge View thereof looking in the direction of the arrow 2 in Fig. l.

Fig. 3 is a detail perspective view, on an enlarged scale, of a fragment of the coupon holder, showing a coupon held therein.

` Fig. 4 is an edge view of the parts seen in Fig. 3, looking in the direction of the arrow ,4, and

Fig. 5 is a horizontal section taken on the line 5--5 of Fig. 3.

Referring to said drawing, which is merely illustrative of one embodiment of the invention, each reference character I0 designates a rectanf gular sheet of relatively stiff paper, such as Kraft paper, or light weight cardboard of suitable size to hold a large number of coupons. One or both side edge portions of each sheet are folded down upon the sheet to provide vnarrow flaps I I, which extend from the top to the bottom of the sheet. The flaps I I should be made as narrow as is consistent with their purpose. Flexible transparent strips of material I2, such as thin Celluloid strips or the like, are placed along the side edges of the sheet with an edge portion of each strip confined' between the flap II andthe sheet I6, and the other edge portion protruding beyond the free edge of the flap.

The flaps and transparent strips are fastened to the sheet by suitable fastening means, at suitably spaced intervals along the length of the sheet to leave pockets I3 for receiving and gripping the end portions of the coupons I4. Although any suitable fastening means may be employed, I have f ound it most 'economical and advantageous to employ light wire staples I5 for this purpose. The staples are placed, cross-wise of the flaps and transparent strips and their ends are driven through the same and through lthe sheet and bent back upon themselves, as is well understood, to thereby securely fasten the naps and transparent strips to Ithe sheet at the stapled places, but leaving the exposed edges of the transparent strips free so that the ends of coupons Fig. 1 is a face view of a coupon holder, in book' Y The material at the fold lines of the sheet pro'- vides the bottoms of the pockets and the fastening means dene the upper and lowerv limits thereof, besides holding the transparent strip in close contact with the body of the'sheet'. vThe result is that the end portions of thecoupons are firmly gripped between transparent strip and bodyof. the sheet, thereby effectively preventing the coupons from escaping from the pockets, besides holding them in position straight across the sheet. Although the sections of the trans'- Y parent strip between the staples lie flat against the body of the sheet, the coupons may be readily inserted into the pockets. If desired, the transparent strips may be omitted.

Each coupon holder above described may be used singly if desired, but in case single coupon holders do not accommodate a sufficient num` ber of coupons to takec'are of the coupons accumulated by a workman during a speciedtime, I prefer to arrange two coupon holders in book form so that the two may be folded together with the coupons on the inside, thus making it convenient for workmen to carry the coupon holders in their pockets. When used in this `manner, two coupon holders are placed side by side or end to end with a small gap between them and are connected by a strip I6 of fairly heavy paper or cloth or the like, which is secured to the adjacent edge portions of the two coupon holders by the staples or other fastening means l5 that are used to fasten the adjacent flaps and transparent strips to the sheets. The connecting strip I6 may be scored along its length midway between the adjacent edges of the two'coupon holders to facilitate folding the two together. f

The individual coupon holders may eachA be made from a strip of material of the required width and of indefinite length, run through a` suitable machine, where the edge portions are folded over the body portion of the material, the transparent strips are'fed under the folded over edge portions, and when used in book form, the connecting strip is fed under the adjacent edge of two main body strips. The assembled parts are fed through the machine in a step by step manner and stapled, and subsequently the finished material is cut into suitable lengths comprising individual coupon holders. Y

In use, when a filled coupon holder is turned in for payment, the record keeper or other authorized attendant records the data appearing Yon the coupons and destructivelyrcancels the coupons, which may be done by punching holes through the coupons and sheet, thus rendering them unt for authorized use. The coupon holder, with the coupons therein, may be then led away for future reference.

For the purpose of readily ascertaining the number of coupons in any holder, it is found desirable to number the pockets of the holder. This may be done by printing numbers, in numerical order, along and adjacent the pockets. The largest covered number indicates the number of coupons in that row. Space may be left at the top or bottom of each holder to receive printed notations, or the back of the holder may receive printed matter as is desired.

1. A coupon holder comprising a rectangular 'sheet of relatively stiff material having its side 2. A coupon holder comprising a rectangular4 sheet of relatively stiff material havingwits- Yside edge portions folded over the adjacent portions ofthe sheet, strips of flexible transparent majterial, partly underlying the folded over edge portions from topY to bottom, and partly protrudingY therefrom, and staples extending crosswise of the sheet, and spaced at intervals along the length of the folded over edge Yportions and transparent strip, for stapling said edge portions and transparent strips to the sheet at spaced intervals, whereby to provide coupon holding pockets having transparent portions.

3. A coupon holder comprising a rectangular sheet of relatively stiff material having a side edge portion folded over the adjacent portion of the sheet to form a flap, a stripV of flexible transparent material, partly underlying theflap from top to bottom and partly protruding therefrom, and fastening means extending crosswise of the flap and spaced at intervals along the length of the iiap and transparent strip for fastening said flap and transparent strip tothe sheet, whereby to provide spaced coupon holdin pockets having transparent portions. n

4. A coupon holder comprising a rectangular sheet of relativelyrsti material having narrow portions folded over adjacent portions of the sheet to form flaps', strips of flexible transparent material partly underlying said flaps from top to bottom and partly protruding therefrom, and a fastening means extending crosswise ofthe aps and transparent strips and spaced at intervals along the length thereof for fastening said flaps and transparent strips to the sheet whereby to provide spaced coupon holding pockets having transparent portions.

MORRIS J HOFFMAN.

I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent: 

